Renewables and storage interconnection backlog grew about 30% last year
The wait for transmission interconnection studies constitutes a “major bottleneck” for solar, storage and wind projects, which accounted for over 95% of all active capacity awaiting studies at the end of 2023, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has reported.
Solar on canals to test potential to conserve land and water in West
Three large projects in California, Utah, and Oregon will cover water reclamation facilities with solar panels, offering co-benefits for both energy production and water conservation.
Roadmap to achieving Puerto Rico’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050
The report defines implementation actions, highly detailed in the PR 100 Final Report, but which are summarized into five actions from immediate to long-term to recurring.
Sunrise brief: Walmart makes big commitments to solar energy
Also on the rise: Maxeon claims 24.9% efficiency for IBC solar panel. Potential effect of the 2024 solar eclipse on solar energy production. And more.
1100 GW solar and 1000 GW storage now await transmission interconnection
Solar, wind and battery storage accounted for nearly 95% of the capacity in transmission interconnection queues as of year-end 2023, based on preliminary data from Berkeley Lab, presented in a staff report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Potential effect of the 2024 solar eclipse on solar energy production
To compensate for potential loss of solar energy flowing to the grid, grid operators will have to be ready to rely on other sources to ensure grid stability, as was done during the 2017 and 2023 eclipse episodes.
Sunrise brief: California cuts interconnection costs for distributed solar developers that agree to export limits
Also on the rise: NABCEP conference 2024 shining bright in Raleigh. KKR and EIG invest more than $1 billion in equity and debt financing in Avantus. And more.
California cuts interconnection costs for distributed solar developers that agree to export limits
By agreeing to limit exports to the grid at peak generation hours, distributed energy resources like rooftop solar and energy storage can now avoid delays and costly infrastructure upgrades.
New modular design for offshore floating photovoltaic platforms
A team of scientists from China and the United States studied ways to optimize floating photovoltaics for offshore use. It found that the robustness of the systems was influenced by the size and number of platforms, as well as the types of connections between platforms.
Vehicle-integrated photovoltaics for electric ground transport
Canadian custom module manufacturer Capsolar developed a vehicle integrated PV system (VIPV) for an electric material towing application, reportedly enabling 30% to 40% range increase per battery charge.
